How To Boost ROI With SEO and PPC Integration

There really is no disputing this fact: a modern day business MUST have an online presence in order to grow. And to achieve that growth, you need to be paying attention to your SEO and PPC strategies. Those aren’t just buzzwords; they’re powerful tools that can make a huge impact on your business’s digital marketing success and overall revenue. SEO, search engine optimization, can get people flocking to your website, which means more eyes on your brand, products, and/or services, and ultimately more sales/subscriptions/clients. PPC, pay-per-click advertising, gives you fast growth, maximum agility when it comes to targeting certain audiences, and detailed metrics you can use to check how well your campaigns are performing. When implemented separately, it’s clear that these two strategies can be immensely effective. But what happens if you integrate SEO and PPC? Let’s explore that.

(I already know about SEO and PPC ROI. Skip to the good stuff.)

Measuring SEO ROI

Before you can get to integrating your SEO and PPC strategies, you should make sure that you’re properly measuring the results and performance of each strategy. After all, how are you supposed to know what you’re doing right and what you’re doing wrong? For SEO, these are the metrics that matter most:

• CLV (customer lifetime value)
• CTR (click-through rate)
• Conversion rate
• CPA (cost per acquisition) Calculate this with: Total SEO expenses ÷ conversions = CPA
• Organic visibility
• Keyword rankings

Tools like Google Analytics, SEMRush, and Moz are very helpful for keeping track of those metrics and how they affect your ROI. If those numbers aren’t where you want them to be, try giving your content a quality check and another round of optimization. Or try to secure a high-quality backlink from an authoritative website. 

Calculating PPC ROI

Hone in on these metrics for tracking your PPC ROI:

• ROAS (return on ad spend)
• CPA (cost per acquisition)
• CPC (cost per click)

You can use tools like Google Ads and Google Analytics to measure and analyze the performance of your PPC campaigns. If you’re after improvement in this area, take a second look at your ad copy and creatives. Reconsider your audience targeting strategy. Most ads underperform because of lack of clarity. Who are you talking to? What exactly do you want them to do when they see your ad?

PPC vs SEO ROI

ROI is just ROI, right? Wrong. There’s a stark difference between revenue generated from SEO efforts and revenue generated from PPC efforts. PPC has higher costs, and gets fast results. SEO is more cost-effective, but it’s a long-term strategy that likely won’t see returns for months, at least. Why is it worth it? Because an SEO strategy doesn’t have a time limit for success after implementing. Paid traffic stops when you stop paying for it. SEO traffic can be eternal if you nurture it correctly. 

Integrating Your SEO and PPC Strategies

Blending SEO and PPC into one integrated strategy is like combining two different instruments in an orchestra. Each one has its unique sound and role, but when you play them together, they create harmony and symphony more powerful than each instrument alone. Just as a conductor coordinates timing and intensity of a symphony, marketers who want to integrate their SEO and PPC strategies will need to carefully align the two to maximize ROI. 

SEO and PPC strategies naturally reinforce each other, a complementary pair. PPC gets the immediate results while SEO strengthens that structure and provides longevity to the larger strategy. Here’s what you can do:

1. Craft a cohesive keyword strategy. Use the same keywords for both PPC and SEO. 
2. Test PPC campaigns to find the best phrases and messages, and use that to shape your SEO strategy. 
3. Target users at different stages of the funnel. 
4. Balance the gaps by adjusting PPC or SEO strategies. SEO’s long-term nature means things will fluctuate as time goes by. Raise or lower your PPC advertising budget to match SEO patterns. Slow period? Drive lead generation with PPC. Busy? Wait and save money for the next slow period.
5. Design your landing pages with both SEO and PPC best practices in mind. While there are some distinct differences between the two types of pages, there are a lot of similarities too: good UX/UI, content relevance, mobile-friendliness.
6. Track everything. Use tools like Google Search Console and Google Ads to track both PPC and SEO data. 

When you get the integration right, a lot of good things start to happen in your marketing efforts. Your keywords get clearer, your landing pages become more relevant, your budget gets less tight, your revenue increases, and your click volume increases as a whole. From a people perspective, integration also helps you with time management. Workflows should streamline better, and communication can be more effective. The precision of PPC and the sustainability of SEO come together to create a consistent digital marketing strategy that will maximize your ROI and enhance your brand visibility and engagement. All in all, it’s a very good deal. Go ahead and take it!

Need a hand with your SEO and PPC strategy integration? Contact us for a consultation.

Want to learn more about SEO and PPC? See what the experts at Make Your Mark have to say here in our blog.